Peru's Humala falls in poll before inauguration

LIMA, July 17 (Reuters) - Peru's President-elect Ollanta
Humala has taken a hard fall in popularity after suspending his
brother from his political coalition over ethics concerns,
according to an Ipsos Apoyo poll published on Sunday.

His rating plummeted 29 points to 41 percent just days
before his July 28 inauguration, according to the survey, which
appeared in El Comercio newspaper. The previous Ipsos Apoyo
poll, which came out on June 19, had Humala at 70 percent.

Earlier this month Humala cut political ties with his
brother, Alexis Humala, after he flew to Russia to meet with
Gazprom executives about investing in Peru's gas fields.

Local newspapers said the July 5 meeting reeked of nepotism
after communiques by Gazprom and Russia's foreign ministry said
Alexis Humala was sent as a "special representative" of the
president-elect.

But the president-elect, who campaigned as an
anti-corruption crusader, said his brother went to Moscow
without his knowledge to angle for business with the world's
largest natural gas company, state-controlled Gazprom.

The poll had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points in
the capital Lima and 2.8 percent in other areas of the
country.

Alexis Humala attended a university in Russia and lived
there for many years.

President-elect Humala, a leftist who has promised to
govern as a moderate, has not announced who will serve in key
cabinet positions. This, according to analysts, is another
negative factor that has been pressuring his rating.
(Reporting by Patricia Velez, writing by Hugh Bronstein;
Editing by Christopher Wilson)